I've recently been really into taking food tours on my adventures around the world. Last year, I had a great morning food tour in Phnom Penh and an all-day Istanbul food tour (Part I and Part II). Earlier this year my mom, brother, and I took another food tour in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
I really think that this is one of the best ways of discovering not only a place's local cuisine, but also the culture and history.
I really think that this is one of the best ways of discovering not only a place's local cuisine, but also the culture and history.
I just got back from yet another visa run to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I'm getting pretty bored of going there, but it's the easiest place to get a visa and the one place I really know how the process works. I've spent so much time in Phnom Penh in the last few years that I've come to know the city pretty well. I have done pretty much all of the major tourist sites, and as it's a much smaller and sleepier city than Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, or Kuala Lumpur, I find myself a little bored sometimes while I wait for my visa to be issued.
This time, I decided to sign up for yet another food tour from Lost Plate Food Tours, the same organization I booked with last time when I had my morning tour in the city. This time, I signed up for an evening food tour, and it was a blast (as expected!).
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| many different Cambodian dishes from Phnom Penh |
It began around 5pm when a remorque, a uniquely Cambodian carriage-like auto rickshaw drawn by a motorbike, pulled up in front of my hotel, and I was greeted by my guide who handed me an ice-cold can of Cambodia Beer as we sped our way across the city. Talk about five-star service!
A food tour like this isn't just about food but also about history and culture. I really enjoyed talking with my guide about the history of Phnom Penh and Cambodia and Cambodian culture as a whole.
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| walking near the Independence Monument |
We had our first Cambodian dish of the evening at Sophath, an old-school noodle restaurant located near Wat Botum Park and the Independence Monument.
What could be more iconic of a dish to start the evening out with than a bowl of num banchok, a Cambodian noodle dish that is eaten all throughout the day?
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| num banchok in Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
Num banchok is a staple of Cambodian cuisine. The dish is made from a bowl of lightly fermented rice noodles served in a rich and herbal fish curry sauce. The num banchok that I had was made from snakehead fish caught locally in the Mekong River.
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| fermented noodles with snakehead fish curry at Sophath, Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
These special noodles are traditionally handmade through a meticulous and time-consuming process, making the dish truly special. Served warm, the noodles are topped with a warm fish curry made with coconut milk, kaffir lime, finger root, turmeric, and other spices, and finished with herbs of your choice.
I enjoyed my meal with a glass of fresh iced sugarcane juice. Freshly squeezed sugarcane juice has a light, herbal, almost grassy flavor. It's super refreshing on a hot day!
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| a glass of refreshing iced sugarcane juice |
But this was just the first dinner of the evening! We got back in the remorque, I cracked another beer, and we drove on to our second stop.
Like Thailand's "gap khao" - various dishes served with rice and typically enjoyed family-style - many of Cambodia's day-to-day meals are eaten in a similar style.
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| several traditional Cambodian dishes to be eaten with rice in Phnom Penh |
We ordered several dishes to share alongside a big plate of white rice and took a seat outside near the street. It was a warm and pleasant evening, and we talked and watched the bustle of Cambodia's capital city while we waited for our dinner to arrive. It didn't take long, and soon our table was laden with several appetizing dishes.
Read more: Chha Trob, Prahok, and Pork Stew with Rice in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The first dish that we tried was called chaa trob, or grilled eggplant with minced pork.
The dish was rich, savory, smoky, and meaty - everything I like in meal!
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| chha trob, or Cambodian grilled eggplant with minced pork in Phnom Penh |
Next up was prahok with minced pork and pea eggplant.
"Prahok" is a type of fermented fish paste (usually made from Mekong River snakehead fish) which is used as a base, seasoning, and condiment for several different Cambodian dishes. This dish was one of my favorites that I tried during my visit to Cambodia. I really loved the variety of flavor and texture, and the fact that it was a little bit spicy!
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| Cambodian prahok, or fermented fish paste, stir-fried with pork, pea eggplant, and chili paste |
Finally, we enjoyed a very rich, hearty, sweet, and savory pork belly stew which came with a boiled egg. This stew consists of fatty pork belly that is braised in a dark and intensely flavorful broth made from caramelized palm sugar, Kampot pepper, garlic, and other aromatics.
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| Cambodian braised pork belly stew in Phnom Penh |
I was starting to feel full, but our evening had only just begun! Next, we headed to Eleven One Kitchen, a famous and trendy indoor-outdoor restaurant focused on sustainability and clean eating. The restaurant claims to be 99% plastic free, using only bio-degradable packaging in line with their mindful philosophy.
The restaurant is located inside a beautiful garden and is a peaceful and relaxing spot to have a nice meal.
We were here to try one of the kingdom's most iconic dishes: fish amok. Amok trei, or fish amok, is Cambodia's national dish. It's said that this recipe originated within the ancient palaces of the Khmer Empire and was a royal dish reserved only for kings. While its exact origin is unknown, this luxurious and delectable curry dish is now beloved by millions across the Kingdom of Wonder.
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| Fish amok - the national dish of Cambodia |
Bites of local Mekong River snakehead fish are marinaded with a yellow kroeung (Cambodian curry paste made from herbs) and mixed with coconut milk. The marinaded fish curry is then steamed inside of a banana leaf container, which results in a creamy and custard-like texture that is both tender and flavorful.
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| Cambodian fish amok |
After finishing our fish amok, we tried another famous Cambodian dish: banana flower and beef salad.
In the United States where I grew up, we only tend to eat the fruit of the banana, discarding the rest as a sort of natural "packaging", however it turns out that not only are many parts of the banana plant - the flowers, stem, and even peel - edible, they are delicacies in parts of the world.
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| Cambodian beef and banana flower salad |
The base of the dish is sir-fried ground beef mixed with aromatic ingredients such as shallots, garlic, chili, basil, crushed peanuts, and (of course) paper-thin slices of delicate young banana blossoms.
The banana flowers don't have a strong flavor of their own but give a slight crunch and a delicate freshness to the dish.
mixed beef and banana flower salad by Eleven One Kitchen, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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| mixed beef and banana flower salad by Eleven One Kitchen, Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
It was fully dark by the time that we stopped at our next destination and parked just outside the walls of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. The museum, built on the site of Prison S-21, is a sobering reminder of the kingdom's tragic past and the brutal Khmer Rouge Regime as well as a testament to Cambodia's resilience and strength as it transforms and develops into the beautiful country that it is once again.
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| the remorque that took me through the city on the food tour |
But tonight, we were here for happier things: namely, more food!
We had come to a local barbecue spot where people hung out after to chat and sip on cold local beer. A big electric sign advertising Krud Pilsner illuminated the street in front of us as we stepped inside to order.
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| a local barbecue restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
It was time for a late-night snack of barbecued frog at a local restaurant. Is this a local delicacy, or perhaps, a vestige of the 90 years of French rule in Cambodia? Either way, frog turns out to be a decent late-night snack, especially when paired with a beer or two!
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| barbecued frog in Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
As cliche as it sounds, frog genuinely does taste like chicken.
The muscly legs are the meatiest part of the frog and are the best bits to snack on.
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| Cambodian barbecued frog leg in Phnom Penh |
If you're not feeling quite bold enough for frog, you can also order delicious grilled pork. Since frog has very little meat on it, you probably want to order some pork anyway.
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| For the less adventurous, barbecued pork is also an option! |
All of the barbecue is marinaded in a similar way and grilled-to-order on hot charcoal. You can watch your meat being prepared on the hot grills set up along the side of the road just outside of the restaurant.
The restaurant is open from morning until late evening but seems to be most popular at night for a place to eat, drink, and meet up with friends after work.
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| a man working the grill at a local barbecue restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
While we waited for our barbecue to arrive, we snacked on little fish cakes with chili which were wrapped in leaves and grilled outside over charcoal.
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| Cambodian steamed fish cakes |
The fish cakes were wrapped up with herbs and noodles of choice and dipped in a sweet and salty peanut dipping sauce. It was a bit like a Vietnamese spring roll without the rice paper.
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| various Cambodian herbs and dipping sauce |
After the delicious barbecue dinner, it was time for something sweet. Our remorque pulled up outside of a small streetside stall laden with dozens of different Cambodian desserts and my guide asked me to choose whichever one I wanted to try.
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| a variety of traditional Cambodian sweets for dessert |
I decided to try the jackfruit and sticky rice upon his recommendation.
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| Cambodian jackfruit and sticky rice |
Jackfruit is a really interesting fruit that grows in the tropical lowlands of South and Southeast Asia. If you've never tasted it before, it can be a little hard to describe. The fruit has a very subtle almost banana-like flavor and a chewy, rubbery texture. I really like it!
In this dessert, the individual pieces of jackfruit, which naturally form into small cuplike shapes, were split open like a taco and stuffed with a portion of sweetened sticky rice. The little packets of flavor were served with a side of sweetened coconut milk to dip them in, adding a little extra salty sweetness to the dessert.
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| late-night street food dessert in Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
As the evening drew to a close, it was time to toast to the fun culinary adventure that we had had with a late-night cocktail. I was taken to Kompi Coffee, a coffee shop by day and a cocktail bar by night where local students like to hang out and study late into the evening.
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| an herbal cocktail to round off the evening |
The tour took around 4 hours, and by the time we had reached the end, I was completely stuffed! The tour ended up being the highlight of my trip to Cambodia, and I left not only with a full stomach but with a greater respect and understanding for Cambodian cuisine.
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